The Rapparatus

Behind the Scenes

With the help of a Nice Grant from community-focused Smallbox and donations from Freewheelin’ Community Bikes, rapper Scoot Dubbs and Know No Stranger’s Alan Goffinski collaborated on the stage of Optical Popsicle 7 in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theater.

Know No Stranger’s Mega Music Machine AKA The Rapparatus Onstage!

by Kasey Bradley

If you live in Indianapolis and have any interest in the arts scene, then you’re no stranger to… Know No Stranger (KNS). If you haven’t had a chance to make it to their long-running annual showcase, Optical Popsicle, there’s a chance you’ve seen them do a pop-up performance, caught them at WARMfest, or have seen their work online.

When we received a Nice Grants application from Know No Stranger’s Alan Goffinski, we knew that we wouldn’t be disappointed. After receiving their grant, Goffinski and team set about building what became, without question, one of the most elaborate music machines you will come across in your lifetime.

Know No Stranger debuted “The Rapparatus” in 2014 during Optical Popsicle 7 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In the clip below, taken from that performance, you can see Goffinski and SmallBox’s own Neil Kjeldsen cranking out (literally) some sick mechanical beats while Scoot Dubbs takes the mic.

I don’t think music has ever sounded so nice.

Read it from the source, and check out more Nice Grants from our friends at Smallbox!